From the right or left, The Capitol Steps offers side-splitting political humor

PORTSMOUTH — What's so funny about the recent elections, the fiscal cliff, Romney's 47 percent or President Obama's first debate? Do Congressman Paul Ryan, Senator Mitch McConnell and Senator John Kerry have anything in common with Honey Boo Boo?

By Deborah J. Addis

Special to Showcase

fosters.com

By Deborah J. Addis

Special to Showcase

Posted Jan. 24, 2013 at 3:15 AM
Updated Jan 24, 2013 at 1:57 PM

By Deborah J. Addis

Special to Showcase

Posted Jan. 24, 2013 at 3:15 AM
Updated Jan 24, 2013 at 1:57 PM

PORTSMOUTH — What's so funny about the recent elections, the fiscal cliff, Romney's 47 percent or President Obama's first debate? Do Congressman Paul Ryan, Senator Mitch McConnell and Senator John Kerry have anything in common with Honey Boo Boo?

If you can't answer these questions, you probably haven't seen Capitol Steps, the political comedy troupe that hails from Washington, D.C. and claims to put the “mock” in democracy.

Well, luckily it's not too late to join the fun, shake the winter blues or get over election-year fatigue. Capitol Steps will be back at Portsmouth's Music Hall on Saturday, Feb. 2 for its 15th annual performance to please crowds, old and new, and to raise funds for The Housing Partnership, the Portsmouth-based nonprofit developer of affordable housing.

Capitol Steps is known for its uncanny ability to lampoon issues and politicians of all stripes and to turn them into political satire. For 14 years in a row they've performed in Portsmouth and this year promises to be better than ever. With a brand new year and a brand new Congress, Capitol Steps has plenty of new material to make you laugh until you cry. For many ticket holders, going to the Capitol Steps each year has become a tradition.

One fan, Stephen H. Roberts, a Portsmouth attorney, concurs. “My wife and I have attended the Capitol Steps show for the past several years, and it has become a tradition for us to attend with a group of friends. The show is non-stop laughter for two hours, skewering both political parties; no one is spared. Attending the show results in an evening of humor that puts everyone in a great mood; we all need that!”

Capitol Steps has gained its widespread reputation by taking something that recently happened in Washington or elsewhere in the world — an issue, a decision, a scandal, even a simple (but usually stupid!) quote, and turning it into something that is hilarious. Most of their material is in the form of parodies of well-known songs from the past several decades, introduced with a short skit. Don't be surprised it they include “popular” foreign figures like Kim Jong Un (North Korea's “sexy man”) or Muammar Gaddafi.

In recent performances, Capitol Steps has lampooned election-year subjects with songs from their new album, including “Help Me Fake It to the Right,” “We Need a Little Christie,” “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weiner,” and “You Can't Hide This Biden Guy.”

Capitol Steps' songs are interspersed with other routines, including a “spoonerism” routine — a popular feature entitled “Lirty Dies” — that the group usually includes near the end of each performance. By juxtaposing letters, Rick Santorum becomes Sick Rantorum. Rick Perry becomes Pick Rerry. Barney Frank is Farny Brank. Lirty Dies follows a great political tradition: You're not quite sure what you're hearing, and we're not quite sure what they're saying. But somehow they pull it off. And it's funny.

Capitol Steps began in 1981, when three Republican congressional staffers, Bill Strauss, Elaina Newport, and Jim Aidala used their spare time while working for a subcommittee of the Senate Committee of Governmental Affairs to write and sing parodies about current events. Their first show took place at a Christmas party for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The performers deemed the show a success, and performed several more times that month with the same routine.

By 1982, the group expanded, adding House staffers and Democrats. When writing their material, they made a concerted effort to make their shows bipartisan, trying to incorporate a roughly even mix of songs targeted at Democrats and Republicans. Before long the group began to do monthly performances at Washington's Shoreham Hotel, gaining publicity for the first time, including a favorable review in The Washington Post.

In November 1984, Capitol Steps — by now gaining a sold reputation — performed at Senator Percy's election-night party. During the party, they learned that the Senator had lost his bid for reelection, meaning that Strauss and Newport would lose their jobs working for him, so they decided to make the Capitol Steps a professional group. Soon they recorded their first album: Capitol Steps Live! At The Shoreham.

Since Capitol Steps began, they have recorded over 32 albums, including their latest, Take the Money and Run for President! and their special holiday release, Barackin' Around the Christmas Tree. They've been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS, and can be heard 4 times a year on National Public Radio stations nationwide during their Politics Takes a Holiday radio specials. They perform once a week in Washington and frequently around the country.

The concerts in Portsmouth have been well-attended by those who appreciate political satire and want to have a fun evening, laughing left to right.

Maria Plati, a communications professional from Newton, MA who has attended several Capitol Steps concerts in various cities, agrees. “The best part of the Capitol Steps,” she says, “is that Washington continues to supply a never-ending supply of outrages, dysfunctional behaviors, scandals and dramas to keep the show running for a long, long time.”

Tickets at $35-$45 for shows at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. can be purchased online at www.themusichall.org or by calling 603-436-2400.

About The Housing Partnership

The Housing Partnership (THP) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1988 by the United Way, local businesses and concerned citizens in response to the critical shortage of workforce housing on the Seacoast. THP's mission is to strengthen Seacoast communities by providing quality, affordable housing for citizens who need it.

Since its founding, THP has developed more than 300 housing units for low- and moderate-income residents in twelve communities in Rockingham and Stafford Counties in New Hampshire and York County, Maine. THP currently provides housing for over 500 adults, children, senior citizens and disabled persons.

THP offers first-time homebuyer education through its Homeward Bound Program, the only HUD-approved homebuyer education program on the Seacoast. Prospective homebuyers who complete the 8-hour seminar satisfy the counseling requirements of many special loan programs.